DOCSLIB.ORG

Core Competencies for Child and Youth Development Professionals

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Core Competencies for Child and Youth Development Professionals Washington State Core Competencies for Child and Youth Development Professionals What child and youth development professionals need to know and do to provide quality services for children and youth ages 5 – 18 years old and their families. Partial funding for the creation of the Washington State Core Competencies for Child and Youth Development Professionals came from the U.S. Department of Education. For more information about the professional development in Washington, visit www.schoolsoutwashington.org Washington State Core Competencies for Child and Youth Development Professionals The development of this document was supported by School’s Out Washington, with leadership and coordination by Jackie Jainga Hyllseth and Emily A. Emerson. The statewide core competency committee, School’s Out Washington, in partnership with the Next Generation Youth Work Coalition undertook an extensive review of existing core competency documents. This document takes its starting framework from the Kansas and Missouri Competencies for Youth Development Professionals. Thank you for sharing your work. First edition Core Competencies 1 Acknowledgements Thank you to the Department of Early Learning for formatting and designing the Washington State Core Competencies for Child and Youth Development Professionals. We would like to thank all of the individuals who participated in the development, review, and revision of the core competencies, including more than 100 professionals who completed the online survey. A special thanks to Ilyse Kramer, our Professional Development Intern for creating the online survey. Additionally, we would like to thank the following organizations/programs for contributing staff time to participate in workgroup sessions between 2008 and 2010: Editor Reviewers Participating Organizations in Stakeholders’ Gathering Susannah Davis Mary Katherine Deen, PhD. Washington State University Extension City of Seattle - Human Services Core Competencies Partners Morva McDonald, PhD. Department Debbie Barnes University of Washington City of Redmond – Parks and Recreation School’s Out Washington Trainer Nicole Yohalem Department of Early Learning Forum for Youth Investment Janet Edwards Forum for Youth Investment Highline Community College Washington State University Reviewers, Cultural Competency Office of the Superintendent of Public Krista Galloway Instruction and Responsiveness School’s Out Washington Omak School District Pam Garza Kathleen Groshong Raikes Foundation National 4-H Council Seattle Human Services Department Seattle Public Schools Elaine Johnson Seattle Parks and Recreation Kendra Han Academy for Educational Development SOAR New Futures Vivian Tseng, Ph.D. Spokane Regional Youth Department Kyla Lackie William T. Grant Foundation Washington Alliance for Better Schools SOAR Washington Association for the Francisco A. Villarruel, Ph.D. Racie McKee Education of Young Children Michigan State University Omak School District Washington Child Care Resource & Alicia Wilson-Ahlstrom Referral Network April Miller Forum for Youth Investment Washington State Department of Early School’s Out Washington Trainer Learning Pam O’Brien Reviewers, Youth Empowerment Washington State University Extension Office of the Superintendent of Public 4-H Instruction Adam Fletcher Washington Recreation Parks Association Private Consultant Sally Telzrow YMCA of Greater Seattle Seattle Public Schools Maureen Sedonaen Youth Leadership Institute Travis Smith Office of the Superintendent of Public Anderson Williams Instruction Oasis Center Jim Westhusing Teddy Wright Washington Recreation Parks Association Private Consultant Jessica Paul Werner YMCA of Greater Seattle Ka’ohe Wong School’s Out Washington Trainer Kevin Wright Washington State University Puyallup 2 Core Competencies Table of Contents Core Competencies: An Overview. .............................................. 4 Content Area I: Child/Adolescent Growth and Development . ................... 10 Content Area II: Learning Environment and Curriculum . ........................ 11 Creating the Learning Environment and General Curriculum . 11 Promoting Physical, Social, and Cognitive Development . ....................... 13 Promoting Communication Skills . ............................................. 14 Promoting Creative Expression . ............................................... 15 Content Area III: Child/Adolescent Observation and Assessment . ............... 17 Content Area IV: Families, Communities, and Schools . 18 Relationships with Families. ................................................... 18 Partnerships with Community . 19 Partnerships with Schools . 20 Content Area V: Safety and Wellness . 22 Knowledge of Regulations . 22 Environmental Safety . 23 Wellness . 24 Content Area VI: Interactions with Children/Youth . 26 Providing Individual Guidance . 26 Enhancing Group Experiences . ................................................ 27 Content Area VII: Program Planning and Development. ......................... 28 Program Planning and Evaluation . 28 Personnel Management. ...................................................... 29 Financial Management. ....................................................... 29 Content Area VIII: Professional Development and Leadership . 30 Professionalism in Practice . 30 Ongoing Professional Growth . 31 Leadership and Advocacy . 32 Content Area IX: Cultural Competency and Responsiveness. .................... 33 Content Area X: Youth Empowerment . ........................................ 36 Glossary. ..................................................................... 38 References . 40 Core Competencies 3 Core Competencies: An Overview This is the first edition of theWashington State Core Competencies for Child and Youth Development Professionals. In 2009, the legislature called for the creation of a coherent system of professional development, including the definition of core competencies for early learning and school-age professionals. This document identifies the knowledge and skills a child and youth development professional needs to know and do to provide quality services for children, youth and their families. A collaborative statewide committee, led by School’s Out Washington, created the core competencies for child and youth development professionals using the Kansas and Missouri Core Competencies for Youth Development Professionals as a starting framework. The committee created the Washington State document with input from stakeholders through focus groups and a statewide online survey. Core competencies are important because they: › Define what professionals need to know and be able to do in order to provide quality child and youth programming. ›S erve as the foundation for decisions and practices carried out by professionals in all settings and programs. › Establish a set of standards that support the professionalization of the child and youth development field. Different ways the core competencies may be used Group Leaders, Child • Assess level of knowledge and skill in ten content areas and Youth Workers, Child • Identify specific areas of need for future professional development (e.g., training/ and Youth Development education) Professionals Directors, Program • Specify professional development (e.g., training/education) requirements for Administrators staff job descriptions • Create staff professional development (e.g., training/education) plans and policies • Establish a salary scale based on staff achievement and experience/education level Families, Communities, and • Understand expectations of professionals working with children and youth in Public Education (K-12) out-of-school time settings Trainers, Training • Plan and organize professional development (e.g., training/education) Organizations • Promote professional development (e.g., training/education) opportunities Higher Education Faculty, • Coordinate and design course content to facilitate transfer and articulation Staff and Administrators agreements • Assess current program content to determine course development Federal, State, and Local • Develop and implement programs that will enhance professionalism in the field Agencies Professional Development • Create the framework for a broad-scale career development system that Efforts provides access to competency-based training/education, ensures compensation commensurate with educational achievement and experience, and allows professionals to achieve recognition in the field 4 Core Competencies The Washington State Core Competencies for Child and Youth Development Professionals is organized by content areas and levels The Washington State competencies address the wide variety of skills and abilities necessary to work with school- age children and older youth (5-18 year olds). The Washington State competencies have ten content areas, ensuring a comprehensive approach, and each content area is broken into five levels to distinguish the expectations for professionals as they progress from new/untrained to experienced/trained in the field. Content Areas Each content area describes the knowledge and skills research suggests that professionals need to work effectively with children, youth, and their families. The content areas identify approaches to fully include children and youth from many ethnic, linguistic, and socioeconomic backgrounds as well as children and youth with special needs. Professionals increase their knowledge and skills in the content areas through ongoing training, education, and experience. Child/Adolescent Growth
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Youth-Adult Partnership Is a Right and a Part of Being a Citizen in Our Democracy
    Youth-adult partnership is a right and a part of being a citizen in our democracy Students must have an active role in their learning if that learning is going to be meaningful and lasting, and such an active role should include having input into how their learning is facilitated. This is the right of the students, and it is the responsibility of adults to ensure that that right is guaranteed. —Alison Cook-Sather, 2008 If the central goal of schools were to prepare students to engage productively in a democracy, then students would be working on the concerns of their immediate and future life and on the concerns of their immediate and extended communities. —Carl Glickman, 1993 According to the Vermont Youth Risk Behavior Survey in 2017, 61% of high school students surveyed agree or strongly agree that they matter to people in their community; a significant increase over the past decade (47% in 2007, 50% in 2015). For middle school students, 64% reported that they mattered to people in their community, up from 53% in 2011. Youth-adult partnership promotes ownership If students feel some ownership in the school where they learn, we might have better attendance, fewer suspensions, and more respect for keeping our building clean. Also, having a choice in how we are taught might make most students more enthusiastic about learning. —student proposal for democracy, Meaningful Student Involvement Guide to Inclusive School Change, Adam Fletcher Fostering student voice—empowering youth to express their opinions and influence their educational experiences so that they feel they have a stake in the outcomes—is one of the most powerful tools schools have to increase learning.
    [Show full text]
  • Ending Discrimination Against Young People by Adam Fletcher PDF
    [BOOK] Download Ebook Ending Discrimination Against Young People By Adam Fletcher PDF Ending Discrimination Against Young People By Adam Fletcher click here to access This Book : FREE DOWNLOAD Denglisch for better knowers: zweisprachiges Denglisch for Better Knowers: Zweisprachiges Wendebuch Deutsch/ Englisch: Hand Shoes und der ganze deutsch-englische Wahnsinn by Adam Fletcher, Ending discrimination against young people: Buy Ending Discrimination Against Young People by Adam Fletcher (ISBN: 9781492183822) from Amazon's Book Store. Free UK delivery on eligible orders. Adam fletcher 02 pioneers youth policy in brazil Adam Fletcher 02 is a discrimination against Fletcher reflected, The young people shared experiences from their own lives that sounded similar Adam fletcher | facebook Order "Ending Discrimination Against Young People" for 10% expert Adam Fletcher proposes that all young people everywhere are affected by discrimination simply Ending discrimination against young people: adam Ending Discrimination Against Young People: Adam Fletcher: 9781492183822: Books - Amazon.ca Amazon Try Prime. Your Store Deals Store Gift Cards Sell Help en fran ais Adam fletcher - academia.edu Adam Fletcher studies Youth An easy-to-read booklet highlighting the basics of youth rights for adults and young people. The Effects of Discrimination Against Accidental discrimination? - ethos community Accidental Discrimination? Posted by Adam Fletcher on discriminate against young people by book, Ending Discrimination Against Young People. Amazon.co.uk: adam fletcher: books, biogs, Visit Amazon.co.uk's Adam Fletcher Page and shop for all Adam Fletcher books. Check out pictures, bibliography, biography and community discussions about Adam Fletcher A short introduction to youth rights | adam By Adam Fletcher in Youth Studies By Adam Fletcher Founder of The Freechild Project A Short Introduction to Youth Rights.
    [Show full text]
  • The Youth Industrial Complex Adam Fletcher July 2020 Freechild Institute, Freechild.Org
    The Youth Industrial Complex Adam Fletcher July 2020 Freechild Institute, freechild.org Synopsis: In the context of decreased support for young people throughout society, it is vital to understand the forces driving the changes underway. The writer identifies and analyzes a phenomenon called the youth-industrial complex that situates the relationships between businesses, governments and nonprofits, as well as the functions between public and private resources, and youth activities. Acknowledging the history and future of the phenomenon, the writer suggests this becomes core knowledge among people within and affected by the complex. The nonprofit industrial complex affects billions of people worldwide, benefiting and detracting from our efforts to make change all while appearing innocuous and indifferent. Because of their age and role in society though, young people might be the most heinously affected. Their experience is so finitely affected that I am calling it the youth-industrial complex. The youth- industrial complex is a phenomenon in the United States that summarizes the overlapping interests of nonprofits, businesses and government agencies which use public and private resources to create youth-serving activities to address economic, social and political problems. What It Does The youth-industrial complex is reflected in the relationship between the three components of governments, nonprofits and businesses. These activities reinforce each sectors' mutually beneficial interactions with young people. Each individual component gains from addressing specific problems in society with specific activities for youth, while the other two aspects gain from ensuring young people have those specific problems in the first place. Every single young person is affected by this complex in countless visible and invisible ways, extending from their home lives to sports, schooling to hanging out; from technology to clothing, music to communication.
    [Show full text]
  • Youth Center Program Start -Up Guide
    Starting a Youth Center Youth Center Program Start-up Guide This guide was made possible with funding in part from: The Vermont Community Foundation and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation : Overview This guidebook is intended to assist you in planning and starting a youth center. It is important to note that this is not intended to be a complete planning document or step-by-step guide. Whether you are a young person, parent, school board member, teacher, community member, or youth development professional, this is aimed to help anyone and everyone who wants to take leadership in creating a program. Vermont Afterschool and the Vermont Youth Center Alliance are able to give much more specific advice, advocacy, and training around starting up a center in your specific community. Table of Contents Introduction 3 Vermont Youth Center Alliance 4 Why Youth Centers Matter 5 Community Readiness 6 Youth Engagement 7 Building a Foundation 8-9 Youth Center Operations 10-12 Youth Leadership 13-14 Assessment and Sustainability 15-16 Recommended Principles and Practices 17 Additional Resources 18 Final Thoughts 19 2 INTRODUCTION About this guide "How and where do I start?" and "Where am I going?" Think of this guidebook as a response to those questions. In this guide, you will find information, ideas, and resources to help you create a new program in your community. What is a youth center? Youth centers take on many forms, but for the purposes of this guide, they are physical program spaces that provide opportunities for young people to make social connections with peers and trained, caring adults, and where youth choose their level of participation in the program offerings (including non-participation).
    [Show full text]
  • Supporting Children's Freedom to Discover Themselves and Their World
    $4.95 Summer 2010, Issue #61 Volume 22, Number 2 Supporting Children’s Freedom to Discover Themselves and Their World InsIde: Printer to Educating the whole child, using social media, taking responsibility for educational choice, insert Bar Code and introducing the Institute for Democratic Education in America The Alternative Education Resource Organization (AERO) was founded in 1989 by Jerry Mintz. AERO is a branch of Contents the School of Living, a non-profit organization founded in BeIng There 1934 by Ralph Borsodi. AERO’s goal is to advance student- with Jerry Mintz. page 2 driven, learner-centered approaches to education. AERO is considered by many to be the primary hub of communica- From The editor’s desk tions and support for educational alternatives around the by Ron Miller. page 3 world. Education Alternatives include, but are not limited to, Montessori, Waldorf (Steiner), Public Choice and At-Risk, FeaTured articles Democratic, Homeschool, Open, Charter, Free, Sudbury, Evolving towards IDEA: Introducing the Institute Holistic, Virtual, Magnet, Early Childhood, Reggio Emilia, for Democratic Education in America Indigo, Krishnamurti, Quaker, Libertarian, Independent, by Dana Bennis . page 4 Progressive, Community, Cooperative, and Unschooling. One Overcoming Fear and Moving Forward of AERO’s areas of expertise is democratic process and demo- cratic education, but equally important is the networking of by Kelly Coyle DiNorcia. page 7 all forms of educational alternatives. It is through our work Educating the Whole Child: and mission that we hope to create an education revolution. Why Nurturing the Spirit Matters AERO’s mission is to help create an education revolution to by Cathleen Haskins .
    [Show full text]
  • Meaningful Student Involvement: Stories by Adam Fletcher
    Stories Adam Fletcher “Meaningful Student Involvement meaningis the processs of engaging students in every facet of the educational process for the purpose of strengthening their committement to education, community and democracy.” Adam Fletcher Stories of Meaningful Student Involvement Adam Fletcher Presented by Stories of Meaningful Student Involvement Copyright ©2004 by Adam Fletcher All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles or reviews. For more information on this publication or for additional copies, please contact: SoundOut! c/o The Freechild Project PO Box 6185 Olympia, Washington 98507 (360)753.2686 [email protected] The author wishes to acknowledge and thank the HumanLinks Foundation for their generous support of this booklet. The author also wishes to thank the following for their contributions: Sue Paro of the HumanLinks Foundation; Beth Kelly and Jessica Vavrus of the Washington Reading Corps; Andrea Felix of Youth Service America; Dr. Michael Vavrus of The Evergreen State College; Nasue Nishida and Greg Williamson of the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction; Wendy Lesko of the Youth Activism Project, and; Joel Tolman, of the Forum for Youth Investment. 2 MEANINGFUL STUDENT INVOLVEMENT Table of Contents Introduction 4 Overview of Meaningful Student Involvement 6 Students as Education Planners 11 Students as Education Researchers 15 Students as Classroom Teachers 19 Students as Education Evaluators 22 Students as Education Decision-Makers 25 Students as Education Advocates 30 Conclusion 34 References 36 STORIES 3 Introduction Any situation in which some individuals prevent others from engaging in the process of inquiry is one of violence.
    [Show full text]
  • Youth-Adult Partnership Resource Kit Tools and Inspiration for Organizations and Communities
    Youth-Adult Partnership Resource Kit Tools and Inspiration for Organizations and Communities Compiled by Mandy Elder Hatfield Resident Fellow, 2017-2018 The Ford Family Foundation Why Youth-Adult Partnership? Dear Rural Resident, Across Oregon and Siskiyou County, Calif., rural community leaders express the same concern: How do we engage the next generation of leadership? Youth-Adult Partnership can be a powerful tool for youth engagement and organizational improvement. By forming authentic partnerships with youth and sharing decision-making responsibilities and power, Youth-Adult Partnership provides a framework for collaboration across generations. Both youth and adults benefitYouth-Adult from Partnershipskill building additionally while working promotes toward intentionally a shared goal. inclusive practices. The populations of our rural communities are increasingly diverse in terms of race, culture, language and ethnicity. Organizational approaches to decision making that value and elevate the voices of rural youth also ensure greater relevancy and more equitable outcomes. This Youth-Adult Partnership Resource Kit is intended for community leaders, youth development professionals, and K-12 educators and administrators. It targets any ally to youth who is interested in organizational improvement and new avenues and and explore Youth-Adult Partnership as a tool to incorporate into your professional practice.strategies for authentic youth engagement. I hope you will find inspiration in this kit Please share these resources with the young people you know. Additional copies of this Resource Kit are available through The Ford Family Foundation’s Select Books program (www.tfff.org/select-books). A PDF version is also available. Thank you for all you do to support rural youth as well as The Ford Family Foundation’s mission.
    [Show full text]
  • Youth Voice & Engagement
    Positive Youth Development III: Youth Voice & Engagement ACT for Youth June 15, 2021 Zoom keeping Audio. You control the volume. Please Experiencing delays? mute yourself during the Try closing out the other presentation. programs running on your computer Questions? Use chat function. Post to Everyone. Agenda o Recap – What is Positive Youth Development? o Defining youth engagement oExamples of meaningful youth engagement oChallenging adultism oQuestions & Resources Recap: Positive Youth Development A philosophy or approach that guides communities in the way they organize programs, supports and opportunities so that young people can develop to their full potential. Focus on building positive outcomes . Youth voice and engagement . Long-term involvement/Developmentally appropriate . Universal/Inclusive . Community-based/Collaborative Youth Voice & Engagement - What does this mean to you? Why is it important? Youth Engagement as Human Right …the active and meaningful involvement of young people in all aspects of their own development and that of their communities, including their empowerment to contribute to decisions about their personal, family, social, economic, and political development (United Nations, 2007) - Such engagement requires recognition of young people’s knowledge, perspectives, and experiences as valuable contributions to decision making at all levels (United Nations, 2007) - It requires structures and systems put in place by adults to support them (Patton et al, 2016) Youth Engagement … can be defined as involving youth in responsible, challenging action that meets genuine needs, with the opportunity for planning and/or decision-making affecting others… there is mutuality in teaching and learning (between youth and adults) and … each group sees itself as a resource for the other and offers what it uniquely can provide.
    [Show full text]
  • Guide to Social Change Led by and with Young People
    The Guide to Social Change Led By and With Young People By Adam Fletcher and Joseph Vavrus © 2006 by CommonAction. All rights are reserved. Parts of this guide may be quoted or used as long as the authors and CommonAction are duly recognized. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted for commercial purpose without prior permission. Inquiries regarding permission to reprint from CommonAction should be addressed to Permissions Editor, CommonAction, PO Box 6185, Olympia, WA 98507-6185. CommonAction, a national nonprofit organization, provides training and support for the Guide to Social Change Led By and With Young People. For more information, send email to [email protected] or calling 360-753-2686 The Guide to Social Change Led By and With Young People - 2 - Introduction One of the great liabilities of history is that all too many people fail to remain awake through great periods of social change… Today, our very survival depends on our ability to stay awake, to adjust to new ideas, to remain vigilant and to face the challenge of change. - Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. THE FREECHILD PROJECT HAS BEEN DOING THIS FOR A WHILE. In the five years since we began, The Freechild Project has identified three powerful trends in social change led by and with young people: 1. Social change led by young people is not all about young people. Instead, children and youth are working for their communities, their families, their cities, and their world. Action that is focused on youth issues often addresses young people as a whole, not isolating other youth because of race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation.
    [Show full text]
  • Guide to Social Change Led by and with Young People Adam Fletcher
    University of Nebraska Omaha DigitalCommons@UNO Service Learning and Community Engagement Guides Projects 2006 Guide to Social Change Led By and With Young People Adam Fletcher Joseph Varvus Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/slceguides Part of the Service Learning Commons Recommended Citation Fletcher, Adam and Varvus, Joseph, "Guide to Social Change Led By and With Young People" (2006). Guides. Paper 4. http://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/slceguides/4 This Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Service Learning and Community Engagement Projects at DigitalCommons@UNO. It has been accepted for inclusion in Guides by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UNO. For more information, please contact [email protected]. By Adam Fletcher and Joseph Vavrus ~~ CommonAction ~"' Connecting Younp, P~ople & A\lults Togeth11r for Demor.rar._y The Guide to Social Change Led By and With Young People - 2- © 2006 by CommonAction. All rights are reserved. Parts of this guide may be quoted or used as long as the authors and CommonAction are duly recognized. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted for commercial purpose without prior permission. Inquiries regarding permission to reprint from CommonAction should be addressed to Permissions Editor, CommonAction, PO Box 6185, Olympia, WA 98507- 6185. CommonAction, a national nonprofit organization, provides training and support for the Guide to Social Change Led By and With Young People. For more information, send email to [email protected] or calling 360-753-2686. SUGGESTED CITATION Fletcher, A & Vavrus, J. (2006). The Guide to Social Change Led By and With Young People.
    [Show full text]
  • Young People's Experiences of School and Drug Use: Systematic Review and Case-Study Research
    Fletcher, Adam (2008) Young people's experiences of school and drug use: systematic review and case-study research. PhD thesis, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17037/PUBS.00682373 Downloaded from: http://researchonline.lshtm.ac.uk/682373/ DOI: 10.17037/PUBS.00682373 Usage Guidelines Please refer to usage guidelines at http://researchonline.lshtm.ac.uk/policies.html or alterna- tively contact [email protected]. Available under license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ Young people's experiences of school and drug use: Systematic review and case-study research 4 .r c"ý `ýýE Adam Fletcher Department of Public Health and Policy London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Thesis submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph. D. ) at the University of London July 2008 I Abstract Drug use is a cause of health and social problems in the UK. Despite widespread interest in. 'whole-school' interventions, which make changes to school socio-environmental factors in order to reduce young people's drug use, the evidence-base regarding 'school effects' on drug use had not previously been synthesised, and the basis for these potential effects only partly theorised. This thesis examines whether and how schools as institutions can influence young people's attitudes and actions relating to drug use and generates new theoretical insights regarding the processes through which any school effects on students' drug use may occur. Experimental/quasi-experimental studies and longitudinal observational studies were systematically reviewed to determine whether school-level factors influence drug use and if so via what mechanisms.
    [Show full text]
  • Community Engagement Guide Is a Series of Six Training Manuals Produced by the N.C
    Adam Fletcher President, CommonAction Community Author Tom Lassiter Engagement Co-owner, Lassiter & Co. Editor Elaine Matthews Guide Senior Vice President, N.C. Rural Economic Development Center Getting started in youth and Director, 1 young adult engagement New Generation Initiative The New Generation Initiative’s Community Engagement Guide is a series of six training manuals produced by the N.C. Rural Economic Development Center in partnership with content specialists in the field of youth and young adult community engagement. These manuals are designed for use by participants in the New Generation Communities training programs. Permission is required from the Rural Center communications office to reproduce or distribute the manual for other purposes. ©2012 N.C. Rural Economic Development Center The New Generation Initiative We know that successful rural communities must have a population of young North Carolina people engaged in decision-making and actively working to grow their local econ- Rural Economic omies. Yet each year, hundreds of young people move away to attend college, join Development the military or take a job – and never return to become part of the economic and Center social life of their hometowns. Many who stay feel disconnected from the main- stream of decision-making and activity. During 2010-11, the Rural Center took several steps toward understanding the aspirations of rural youth and their perspectives on their communities. We coupled these with an examination of statistical data regarding the well-being of children, youth and youth adults in rural North Carolina. “Young and Rural: A Snapshot of Rural North Carolina’s New Generation” summarizes the findings.
    [Show full text]